Raw food is not scary!

My family and I decided back in December of 2011 to change our diet to whole food plant based. Vegan if you will.  The change over started in January of 2012 and we haven't looked back.  The hubby and I have watched several food documentaries this year and have decided to try a juice fast at some point this summer. Raw foods is another genre that has peaked our interests.  A lot has changed in just 4 months. I never thought I could become a vegan (nutritional vegan) let alone someone who enjoys raw foods. Or homemade juiced juices!!

Who have I become? I have amazed myself that is for sure!

For Mother's Day I received a copy of Eat Raw Eat Well by Doug McNish from the hubby.  Although it was a book I had asked for I was scared when I received it. What is raw food? Salad? Rabbit food? Lettuce? Cold food? What the heck would I be eating?

Doug has 400 Raw, Vegan, & Gluten-Free Recipes in this well organized book. 400 recipes! Really? This shocked me a bit. 400 recipes for raw foods. So, I took a gander.  I must say, I was intrigued. In this book there is a section for juices, this pleased me. I need more juice recipes! Juice recipes that include all the nutrients I will need.  There is a breakfast section, dips and spreads, soups, salads and dressings, sauces and condiments, main dishes, sides, snacks and breads, and desserts. This book is packed full of raw foods!

When I looked at the beautiful picture on the cover of this book I thought for sure there was pasta in the bowl.  To my amazement it was not pasta at all, it was parsnips and carrots.  Of course, I went looking for this particular recipe.

Pesto Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccine.  This recipe has many different healthy ingredients. From the carrots and parsnips to the hemp seeds and hemp oil, garlic and cilantro. I decided this would be my first recipe to make from this book.

I doubled the recipe to ensure left overs for lunch.  So, admittedly peeling the carrots and parsnips took quite awhile. Raw food is not fast food. But, it's well worth the wait! I made the pesto and set it aside so I could make a side dish to go with dinner.

I started flipping through the book for a suitable side dish. Wow, what great sounding recipes! Red Beet Ravioli, Jicama Fries, Raw Tamales, Moroccan Chickpea Stew. To name a few.

I chose portobella carpaccio because I had the ingredients and I've found a new love for mushrooms I never had before. This recipe is fairly simple. You just need about an hour to leave your mushrooms to sit in the sauce to marinade.  This recipe, however, does call for two other recipes to go with it. Cashew Feta Cheese and Spicy Red Pepper Flax Oil. I cleaned my food processor several times to get everything done.

This dish reminded me of pizza! Pizza with meats and cheeses. I'm not sure how but it did. I LOVED it! For someone who is new to the mushroom world (hated them before becoming vegan) I can't believe how much I loved this dish. The Cashew Feta Cheese gave it a bit of a crunch and bite, such a great combination. The Spicy Red Pepper Flax Oil sauce around the edge of the plate was divine! I didn't add as much cayenne as the recipe called for but it still had a great bite to it. I cannot wait to eat this for left overs. So good! The hubby liked it too. I think I'll be making these items to add to pizza at some point. I may just add these mushrooms to everything actually. They are THAT good!

Dinner took awhile to make, longer than anticipated. Making raw meals will be a bit more planned next time. I felt a bit unorganized making so many different items. As we won't be eating raw all the time I may reserve for weekends or make the sauces ahead of time to just throw things together. After finally locating Hemp Seed Oil I realized (because I doubled the fettuccine recipe) that it's pricey as well.  We stayed within our budget but I will definitely plan for that as well. But, to be fair once you have staple items to supplement will be less pricey.  I have to say, though, this dish was worth the time and effort.

I do wish I could express my pleasure in this dish. I am now a fan of raw foods. I look forward to delving more into this book in the future. Once I get a bit more used to the difference in preparation I will probably being using it weekly. I felt satisfied and light after this meal. It just felt clean to me.

I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend giving raw foods a chance. I believe non- vegans, non-raw foodies would love both these recipes, especially that mushroom dish! Wow!

Thank you to Doug McNish for creating such a wonderful book, Eat Raw Eat Well. You opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed a world I will never close the door on. Delicious, light, clean, fantastic.

Cheers and happy eating!



Playlist:
And One - Sternradio
Vast - Pretty When you Cry
CTRL - Grand Experiment
Anders Manga - One up for the Dying
Infadels - Girl That Speaks no Words